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New Zealand updates: White Island volcano eruption leaves multiple dead, critically injured

Fears are growing for Australians caught up in a volcanic eruption on White Island in New Zealand, as police say they do not believe there are any remaining survivors on the island.

Paul Sakkal, Robyn Grace and Sumeyya Ilanbey

Updated December 10, 2019 — 6:53pm,first published December 10, 2019 — 7:45am

Summary

New Zealand police will launch an investigation, alongside WorkSafe's investigation.
Three of the five dead are believed to be Australians.
24 Australians were on White Island yesterday. Thirteen are in hospital, 11 unaccounted for.
The transfer of injured Australians to Australian hospitals will be arranged.
31 people are being treated at seven hospitals, with many in burns units throughout the country

6.53pm on Dec 10, 2019

Recapping the day's events

Thank you for joining us today. Our blog will continue Wednesday morning.

To recap the day's events:

At least five people are confirmed to be dead when a volcano erupted on White Island in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty at 2.10pm (12.10 AEDT) on Monday afternoon.
Three of those who have died are believed to be Australians.
Eight people remain on the island, believed to be dead. Eleven Australians are unaccounted for.
New Zealand police have launched an investigation on behalf of the coroner. Their probe will run alongside a WorkSafe investigation.
Thirty-one victims, including 13 Australians, had been taken to hospital.
Thirty-one people are being treated at seven hospital throughout the country. Three people have been discharged. Authorities don't believe all the injured victims will survive as only a few are not in a critical condition.
The transfer of injured Australians to Australian hospitals will be arranged.
The owners of White Island released a statement late Tuesday, saying they were "shocked by what has occurred ... and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy".
The nationalities of the 47 tourists on White Island when the volcano erupted have been confirmed. There were 24 Australians, two Chinese, four Germans, one Malaysian, five New Zealanders, two Brits and nine Americans.

People from multiple countries have been registering their loved ones on the site Restoring Family Links.

5.50pm on Dec 10, 2019

'Sombre mood' grips Ovation of the Seas cruise liner

By Toby Crockford and Lydia Lynch

A Brisbane mother and daughter remain unaccounted for following the eruption on Monday afternoon.

A "sombre mood" has gripped the Ovation of the Seas cruise liner as those aboard mourn the crew and passengers caught in the disaster, according to a Brisbane woman on holiday with her family.

Julie Richards, 47, and Jessica Richards, 20, remain missing, according to the New Zealand Red Cross "Restoring Family Links" database.

Julie Richards, 47, and Jessica Richards, 20, pictured in 2015.Facebook

Relative Barbara Whitehead told ABC News that relatives were "overwhelmed" amid a lack of information from authorities on the pair's wellbeing.

She said the family had phoned seven New Zealand hospitals in a bid to locate the pair but only one had confirmed they were not among its patients.

"We've rung the hospital, we've rung the cruise line, we've rung the New Zealand police hotline and nobody can tell us anything," she said.

"We rang DFAT and they don't have any information either at the moment."

Petrina Brown, a Brisbane paramedic with her husband and four children aboard the Ovation of the Seas cruise liner, said passengers were getting most of their information from news outlets.

"We haven’t been given a lot of details by the captain, there have been about five announcements in total," Mrs Brown said.

"The mood is pretty quiet, everyone is pretty sombre. There was a minute's silence on board. There is a special bell every time the captain makes an announcement and the ship goes completely silent.

5.38pm on Dec 10, 2019

White Island owners release statement on tragedy, offer condolences

The Whakaari Trust has released this statement:

Whakaari Trust wishes to express its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to those affected by the eruption of White Island yesterday.

The Trust, which owns the island, is managed by Whakaari Management Limited which comprises three directors who are also brothers: James Buttle, Andrew Buttle and Peter Buttle.

Speaking from Whakatane, Trust spokesman Peter Buttle says his family have owned the island for over 80 years and are devastated by the tragic event.

“We are all shocked by what has occurred on Whakaari yesterday and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy,” says Mr Buttle.

“We wish to thank everyone involved in the rescue effort, including the first responders, medical personnel and the locals who helped evacuate people from the island. Their efforts have been both courageous and extraordinary.”

White Island was bought by the brothers’ grandfather, George Raymond (Ray) Buttle in 1936 after mining operations on the island ended in bankruptcy. The island was passed on to Ray’s son John Buttle and it has remained in the Buttle family ever since.

The family has witnessed tourism to Whakaari increase steadily over the past 30 years and the island has become a major international tourist attraction in the Bay of Plenty.

“That we now have had a tragic event with devastating consequences leaves us absolutely heartbroken. Our thoughts are with the families of those affected, as well as the wider Whakatane community.”

The Buttle family asks that the rahui (a prohibition restricting access or use of an area) now placed on Whakaari is respected.

5.32pm on Dec 10, 2019

Passport arrangements to be expedited for Australian families affected by tragedy

Passport arrangements will be expedited for Australians travelling to New Zealand to meet their families caught up in the White Island tragedy, Foreign Minister Marise Payne has said.

Another five consular staff, in addition to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials already on ground, are on their way to New Zealand and will arrive Tuesday evening. Some will go to Auckland and some to Christchurch.

"High Commissioner Patricia Forsythe is herself at Tauranga Hospital and she has been able to speak with some of the friends of one of the affected Australians," Senator Payne said.

"I'm not able to provide details as to injuries at this stage, but it does appear that burns are the main injury received. Victims are being stabilised, and then when possible, transferred to the larger burns units in Auckland and Christchurch.

"Some families of victims have made arrangements to travel, and we understand that some of those will arrive on flights later tonight. The government in that context is expediting any required passport arrangements and providing all other necessary help so that family members are able to travel quickly.

"Royal Caribbean is providing travel as well for next of kin and to close family for those affected. Qantas has also offered to assist with those travel movements."

5.11pm on Dec 10, 2019

Nationalities of the tourists confirmed

New Zealand police have confirmed the nationalities of the 47 people who were on White Island at the time of the eruption.

There were:

24 from Australia
Two from China
Four from Germany
One from Malaysia
Five from New Zealand
Two from the United Kingdom
Nine from the United States of America

There are five confirmed fatalities, and eight people missing and presumed deceased.

"We are working to confirm the identities of those involved, including those who have died and who are injured," police said in a statement.

"We are working through a complex Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) process.

"The nature of the injuries that people have suffered is severe and means identifying them is a complex matter."

5.07pm on Dec 10, 2019

Police clarify earlier claims, say it is 'too early' to confirm if there will be a criminal investigation

New Zealand police have issued a statement, correcting earlier claims that a criminal investigation will be launched.

An investigation into the circumstances that led to the deaths and injuries of tourists on White Island will be launched on behalf of the coroner.

Police now say it is "too early" to confirm if there will also be a criminal investigation.

"The police investigation on behalf of the coroner will be carried out in parallel with a WorkSafe New Zealand investigation," police said in a statement.

"WorkSafe New Zealand has opened a health and safety investigation into the harm and loss of life caused by the eruption.

"As the workplace health and safety regulator and administrator of the Adventure Activities Regulations, WorkSafe will be investigating and considering all of the relevant work health and safety issues surrounding this tragic event.

"We will continue to provide information and updates as quickly as we are able to."

4.37pm on Dec 10, 2019

Ovation of the Seas cruise a day and a half behind itinerary

By Rachel Eddie

Adelaide tourist Shane Soutter said the Ovation of the Seas cruise now won't leave Tauranga dock until 6.45am on Wednesday, New Zealand time.

That puts them about a day and a half behind the itinerary, and Mr Soutter said the cruise will skip Dunedin and Milford Sounds but make it for Wellington and Picton.

"Everyone is in shock and struggling to process what has happened. The mood onboard is noticeably sombre," the grandfather said.

Mr Soutter is on the cruise with his wife Christine, their daughter and two grandsons aged 10 and 12.

Instead of taking the trip to White Island on Monday, the family decided to go to Rotorua.

4.30pm on Dec 10, 2019

Safety systems at the Lord of the Rings scene, Tongariro National Park, will be reviewed

The mayor of the Ruapehu District, where the the Tongariro National Park that featured in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is, has said there would be a review of safety systems for tourism in high volcanic zones in the Ruapehu area.

Thousands of people visit the national park where there are three active volcanoes: Tongariro, Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu.

Mayor Don Cameron told stuff.co.nz he did not think there would be a major change to the tourist industry in his region, but was meeting with operators to discuss the tragedy.

"I'm confident we do have the right measures in place, there is a lot of monitoring that goes on there at the moment. GNS have instruments measuring the heat of the lake at Ruapehu, for example," Mr Cameron said.

The Department of Conservation has the power to close the Tongariro National Park if there is high volcanic activity.

Mt Ruapehu erupted dramatically in 1995 and 1996, sending clouds of ash and spewing huge boulders into the vicinity.

Mt Tongariro was dormant for more than 100 years when it erupted in 2012, closing the Tongariro National Park.

4.21pm on Dec 10, 2019

The missing Australians

Australians listed as missing, as at 4pm Tuesday

These are the Australians listed as missing, as at 4pm Tuesday AEDT, according to the Red Cross website Restoring Family Links:

South Australia

Gavin Brian Dallow, 35, Adelaide
Zoe Hosking, 15, Adelaide
Lisa, no other details, Adelaide. (Lisa Dallow was found in a New Zealand hospital on Tuesday afternoon).

Queensland

Robert Rogers, 78, Herberton, Queensland
Maree Fish, 46, Brisbane

New South Wales

Karla Michelle Mathews, 32, Coffs Habour, NSW
Richard Aaron Elzer, 32, Coffs Harbour
Alison Harris, 52, Newcastle, NSW
Anthony Langford, 51, North Sydney
Jesse Langford, 18, North Sydney
Winona Langford, 17, North Sydney
Kristine Langford, age not given, North Sydney
Gary Woolley, age not given, Sydney
Jane Murray, 56, Sydney
Sheree Toope, 31, Sydney

Victoria

Krystal Browitt, 22, Melbourne

Australia (no state named)

Jessica Richards, 20, Australia
Julie Richards, 47, Australia
Martin Hollander, 48, Australia
Susan Maree Cole, no other details, Australia

Source: NZ Red Cross website: redcross.org.nz

4.19pm on Dec 10, 2019

Updating what we know so far

Here's what we know so far:

Three Australians are believed to be among the five killed when a volcano erupted on White Island in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty at 2.10pm (12.10 AEDT) on Monday afternoon.
Forty-seven people including 24 Australians were exploring the island when the eruption occurred, sending plumes of ash 3700 metres into the sky.
Thirty-one victims, including 13 Australians had been taken to hospital.
Eight people remain missing, believed dead, on the island.
Thirty-one people are being treated at seven hospital throughout the country. Three people have been discharged. Authorities don't believe all the injured victims will survive as only a few are not in a critical condition.
Police are launching a criminal investigation, alongside a WorkSafe investigation.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told parliament serious questions needed to be asked and answered into how the tragedy happened.
The transfer of injured Australians to Australian hospitals will be arranged.